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William Adan

NAAWAN, Misamis Oriental — Ombudsman Conchita Morales- Carpio said it well:  if the President has nothing to hide, then he has nothing to fear.

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Amazingly, the President now acts like he is rabidly gripped by fear. He betrayed his dread when he ranted and angrily announced that he would not submit to the authority of the Office of the Ombudsman on the probe anent his alleged hidden wealth; and that he  will create a commission to investigate the investigators. In other words, he would stop the probe which for an honest man would have been a  great opportunity to clear oneself and come out clean from whatever rubbish and mucks thrown at him by his arch nemesis.

No one is perfect but those who have claimed the right to lead us are expected to be a little perfect than us. If they are just as base as many of us, then they have no moral ascendancy to lead us. In this pragmatic world some idealism is still needed to give meaning and sanity to our lives. Rationalization and justification produce nothing but emptiness to our being. A leader must be above the led – a light to show us the way not a huge veil to put us in darkness.

Stamping out corruption is one of the centerpiece programs of the Duterte administration. The choice is admirable because corruption is the worst of crimes that befalls the country. It permeates the whole gamut of our national life and gnaws at our very moral fiber. Corruption has alienated the people from their government by the ways it impairs the delivery of services. It causes shortfalls in revenue collection; results in substandard or unfinished infrastructure projects; in the miscarriage of justice; incompetence in the civil service; food security issues; poor quality education and a ravaged resources and environment, among others.

To be credible in waging the fight against corruption, our President ought to be above doubt or suspicion from corruption. Hence, it is imperative for him to welcome the Ombudsman’s probe squarely and not run away from it. He owes it to the Filipino people, particularly to those who put him in office, to come clean from the process and be vindicated by his honesty. To run away from the investigation is tantamount to admitting guilt in the most dishonorable way of doing it.

Moreover, he cannot keep on ranting and weaving inane and incredible tales to divert public attention from his predicament. In so doing he would be like the spider that keeps on expanding its web until the web breaks from its weight and traps and entangles its owner. It’s just a matter of time.

 

(William R. Adan, Ph.D., is retired professor and former chancellor of Mindanao State University at Naawan, Misamis Oriental. -Mindanews)

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